Scheduled to open to the public in 2009, the Modern Wing for the Art Institute of Chicago is already topping out. As described on its engineering page, the Modern Wing is dedicated to the Art Institute`s modern and contemporary collections: paintings, sculpture, photography, film and video, and architecture and design.
The Modern Wing designed by Renzo Piano and he adopting a unique structure elements called Magic Carpet or Flying Carpet that suspended above the roof. The carpet is an extruded-aluminum sun screen that will hover over much of the new construction and capture the north light and deliver it to the third-floor gallery skylights while gently shading the garden.
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